1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an apparatus and method for making enlargements or prints of images stored on microfilm.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The practice of using microfilm reader-printer apparatus comprising the combination of a copying system and a reader is quite popular. Often it is desirable to print out several related documents stored on adjacent image frames. It is known, for example, on the KODAK IMT-350 Microimage Terminal to distinguish between groups of related documents stored as image frames to facilitate automatic reproduction of a related group of documents. To this end, each related group or batch hereinafter called "chapter" has the first page or image frame of the chapter (chapter head page) distinguished from the other pages of that chapter by a special indicium placed adjacent the image frame. Each other image frame of the chapter has an indicium associated therewith that is different from the chapter head page. These indicia allow for automatic reproduction of pages from a chapter. Thus, with the chapter head image frame in the print gate and a print command signal provided to produce multiple prints of the frames in this chapter, the printer will print multiple copies of the chapter head image and multiple copies of each of the succeeding image frames in the chapter. The operator would then need to take the stack of prints and manually collate them before sending a print set to each of the persons desiring one.
The above prior art apparatus is operable in another mode to print multiple sets of copies from only a portion of the chapter. In this mode the last image frame of the portion of the chapter to be reproduced is placed in the print gate. Upon initiation of a print command signal designating the number of print sets, the correct number of prints of each image frame is made starting with the one in the print gate and succeeding in turn until the correct number of prints of the chapter head image frame is made. Again, these prints need to be collated manually before sending a print set to each of the persons desiring one.
In U.S. Pat. No. 3,898,003 a viewer-printer apparatus is disclosed for producing prints from microfilm arranged as microfiche. In this apparatus, production of multiple sets of collated prints is made by first determining how many image frames are desired to be produced. This first step is accomplished by manually stepping through each image frame as noted on the viewer and counting the number of successive image frames of interest. Thereafter, the location of the first image frame to be printed needs to be input into the apparatus by the operator. Also, where prints are to issue from the machine face-up (a desirable convenience to the operator) care must be provided to mount the microfiche in a particular orientation to facilitate advancement of the image frames from the last frame to be reproduced towards the first frame of the print set.
The apparatus of U.S. Pat. No. 3,898,003 presents a substantial inconvenience to the production of collated prints of image frames stored on microfilm.
It is, therefore, an object of the invention to provide method and apparatus for producing collated prints of image frames stored on a microfilm that is a substantial improvement to that of the prior art.